Media advisory

Number-one tennis star and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Roger Federer in public service announcement on children and AIDS

Who: Roger Federer, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and top player on the ATP circuit

What: Public service announcement on the impact of AIDS on children

When: New York, 29 August

Why: As part of the ‘Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS’ campaign, Federer draws attention to the fact that children are still missing from the global AIDS agenda and not getting the essential services they need, including education and medical services. The announcement also contributes to the ACE (‘Assisting Children Everywhere’) partnership, a joint effort of the ATP, the governing body of men’s professional tennis, and UNICEF to harness the power of tennis for children.

Attention broadcasters: The 30-second PSA, 60-second behind-the-scenes video and photos will be available free of charge from The Newsmarket at http://www.thenewsmarket.com.

Federer, already considered one of the all-time greats of professional tennis, first teamed up with UNICEF after the Indian Ocean tsunami. He organized the tsunami fundraising exhibition ‘ATP All-Star Rally for Relief’ and secured the participation of nearly every Top 10 player in the world. In 2003, he established the Roger Federer Foundation to fund projects benefiting disadvantaged children with a focus on his mother’s native country, South Africa. In 2005, Federer joined UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Adolph Ogi, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace, to launch the ‘International Year of Sport and Physical Education’. Federer was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in April 2006.

About UNICEF For 60 years UNICEF has been the world’s leader for children, working on the ground in 156 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.